Custom Software Development Blog by Syberry

Agile methodologies rule the software development world nowadays, and one of their goals is to build self-organized teams for every project. Of course, that raises the question of whether relying on self-organized teams will leave managers out of a job. If a team is capable of performing the work on their own, why would we need managers at all?

Part of this concern likely comes from the general uncertainty and opacity about a manager’s actual role and responsibilities. So before we answer the question, let’s give a brief overview what the role entails.

When you imagine a typical software engineer, what do you imagine? A grim-looking, withdrawn person in glasses, who enjoys coding quietly, alone, and hates having to interact with other people? This stereotype should be long gone soon, as the software development world is changing, and soft skills like communication are on the rise.

All modern software development frameworks emphasize the importance of communication. One of the core values of the Agile manifesto is that “individuals and interactions are more important than processes and tools.” Does that sound counterintuitive? Let’s analyze what is behind this principle.

A lot of things about Scrum-based software development are set in stone, such as the roles involved and the kinds of meetings teams must hold. However, there are some things that can vary from project to project and company to company. One of those is team size. So, what factors influence the optimal team size, and how do you determine the right size for your project?

The product owner is a “connecting link” between the development team and the client. The goal of the product owner is to guide the development team toward creating the most valuable product possible to achieve the client’s goals.

One of the questions prospective clients ask us frequently is what the typical software development team looks like. The truth is, the “typical” team is hard to define. The “proper” structure and composition has been the subject of many debates, and there are so many configuration options that it is unreasonable to expect a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

As with any area of software engineering at Syberry, we always explore our options to find the optimal team composition based on each client’s specific needs, rather than simply recycling identical team compositions over and over.

Is a custom software application right for your industry? Could a mobile app or a custom ERP system be a true competitive advantage, or these simply “nice to have” luxuries? The way we see it, many industries can benefit from custom software, as long the companies purchasing it are clear on their goals: the business problems they want their investment to solve, or the opportunities they want to take advantage of. To that end, before we talk about specific industries, let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons companies have for investing in custom software.